The New Girl in School
by acercrea
Summary: Lucas is feeling left out when the other four members of the science club get together. until a new girls shows up at school. one who may be able to solve the black hole mystery. MC, JV
1. Fights and New Girls

A/N: I just have a feeling that Lucas will be the fifth wheel as soon as Vaughn and Josie make up. So, in this story, Lucas meets a new girl in school. One he think might be able to help them all understand the black hole. Focus of the story will bounce around.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, want to, but don't. All I own is a head full of useless pop culture, and my soul. One I can't seem to part with, the other I am unwilling to part with.

Title: New Girl in School

Ch. 1: Fights and New Girls

Sunlight streamed into the window and woke Lucas up. He groaned and rolled over to look at his alarm clock. He panicked for a moment when he saw that it was one o' clock, but remembered it was Saturday. Then he noticed a post-it note stuck to his forehead. He pulled it off and recognized Marshall's handwriting as he was putting on his glasses.

_Lucas_, he read, _Corrine and I went into town, see you when I get back._

"Great," he thought aloud. "He ditched me for a chick."

"Who ditched you for a chick?" Josie asked, sticking her head in the door. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was going to knock, but I heard you talking to your self. I take it you got a post-it as well?"

"Yeah, but did you get one on your forehead?" he asked.

"No, mine was on my CD player," she replied coming inside and kicking a t-shirt under the door to keep it open..

"Great, I feel so loved. So, you want to do something? I mean since we were both ditched," he clarified.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to do?" she asked.

"We can go play foosball? Or we can go and get started on our study of modern uses of ancient architecture for history. We can get started around here, get some of the examples around the school?" he suggested.

"Sure, let me get my stuff and we can go," she agreed.

Five minutes later he and Josie were walking around the school and making notes on the various examples of architecture and chatting aimlessly.

"Oh, hey, cool, I didn't know there was a suspended arch near the back entrance," Josie commented.

"Yeah, cool. Josie, can I ask you a question?" Lucas asked.

"You just did," she joked. "Just kidding. What do you want to know?"

"I know you and I aren't going to be getting together any time soon, and it pains me to ask you this, but what is happening with you and Vaughn? Not that I'm insecure, or anything, I just never know where you stand, and it would probably be easier for me to gauge how I'm supposed to act around him if I know where you stand," he rambled.

"Oh," she stalled by looking at her notes.

"Josie, this is an awkward situation, I know, but I don't think it has to be," Lucas prodded.

"I know. The thing is, I don't really know where I stand. I like him, but he abused my trust, more than once. And he moved back in with Victor and didn't tell me. And he still hasn't apologized. And I know I shouldn't be mad any longer, I've long gone way past the statute of limitations on the chip on my shoulder, but I can never find a good time. Every time I think I might, Madison, or his father, or one of his popular friends show up and I end up madder than before I tried to apologize. And-"

Lucas cut her off, "Josie, you're rambling. Look, all I wanted to know is whether I should steer clear, or try to defend your honor, or something cheesy like that," he trailed off when she started laughing.

"Defend my honor? Is this the eighteen hundreds?" Josie chuckled.

"Forget it. Look, I just want to know wether you were going to wise up, or keep ignoring me every time he comes into your line of sight?" he asked and stormed off, leaving a slack-jawed Josie in his wake.

"Hey Lucas, what did you do today?" Marshall asked, coming into the room at ten-thirty that evening.

"Slept in late, woke up with a post-it on my forehead, and oh, yeah, had a fight with Josie," he replied.

"Oh, so the note did stay on your forehead. Wait, what? You had a fight with Josie?" Marshall asked. "What about?"

"About how she is still stuck on Vaughn, and it's pissing me off, not knowing where they stand, and by extension where I stand with Vaughn," he replied.

"Since when has what Josie done affected what you do?" Marshall asked.

"Since I let myself get in over my head," he sighed. "So, how was your date?"

"It was great. Hey, it wasn't a date," Marshall protested.

"Sure, you keep telling your self that," Lucas retorted. "I'm going to bed. Please don't put the post-it note on my forehead tomorrow."

He walked into the common area the next morning and was shocked to see that Vaughn and Josie were holding hands and laughing.

"Marshall, are Josie and Vaughn holding hands, or are my eyes being affected by the black hole?" he asked.

When he didn't get an answer, he looked over and saw that Corrine and Marshall were deep in conversation. "Hey, did you say something, Lucas?" Corrine asked.

"No, nothing important," he mumbled and walked out into the hall. He was not paying attention to where he was walking and ran into something.

"Hey, I know that people are supposed to pick on the new kids, but this is ridiculous," a female voice grumbled.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked.

"I'm Nikki Vatrini. What's it to ya?" she asked.

"I'm Lucas," he replied, gazing at this girl who reminded him so much of the spunky red-head in the next room and thinking he was in touble.

A/N: this is my new fic, how do you guys like it? I might not update as often this time, since I am working more hours at work now. But read and review and I will try to get the chappies up quickly.


	2. Thanks for the Advice

A/N: all will be revealed in its proper time. And yes , Kaitins, I intended it to be spelled that way. Read on to find out why.

Disclaimer: no own. Probably never will. All I own is Nikki. No more giant monkeys!

Ch. 2: Thanks for the Advice

"Lucas, huh? There a last name to go with that or is it like Sting or Prince?" Nikki asked.

He helped her up and got his first proper look at this mystery girl. She was a couple inches shorter than him, but she was wearing boots with at least an inch of lift on them, she had shoulder length, dark brown hair and bright green eyes. The top half of her hair was pulled up into a spiky bun, held up with chopsticks. She was wearing a tank top with baggy camouflage pants. _She's pretty, _he thought.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"Sorry, its Randall," he replied lamely.

"Which is it, Lucas or Randall?" she asked.

"Both, actually. Randall is my last name," he replied.

"Well, boy of two first names, is the principal's office around here, or is it somewhere in one of the other states I passed though in the hour and a half I have been wandering around this labyrinth you seem to call a school," she commented sarcastically in a thick New York accent.

"I can walk you. Need help with your bags?" he offered.

"Yea, sure," she consented, handing him one of her bags and adjusting the other.

"So, are you from New York?" he asked. When she looked at him, he clarified, "You have a bit of an accent."

"Can't put anything past you, can I? I'm born and bred Brooklyn. Till now I haven't lived any where else," she sighed.

"You miss it don't you?" he asked.

"Again, you don't miss a thing. So, are we nearing it, or should we stop for water soon?" she asked.

"Uh," he muttered, realizing he hadn't been paying attention. "We passed it. Sorry," he apologized.

"It makes me feel so optimistic that the kids who have been here for a while still get lost," she replied.

"It isn't really that bad, I just wasn't paying attention. Don't worry, you'll find your way," he tried to assure her. He knocked on the door when they got there. "Principal Durst? I found a new student wandering around the halls," he called.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Randall. Miss Vatrini, I presume?" Durst asked.

"That's what it says on my birth certificate," Nikki replied.

"Of course it does. Well, all the arrangements have been made, here is your class schedule, your room assignment, key, and the name of a student who was supposed to show you around, but since you already seem to know Mr. Randall, I see no reason why he can't show you around. I believe he knows the way to your room, is in most of your classes, and not only knows your room mates, but probably knows where they are right now," Durst finished.

"Really?" Lucas asked, trying to get a look at the piece of paper.

"Let's see, a Corrine Baxter and-"

He cut her off. "Josie," he stated.

"Yes, Josie Trent," she replied, no trace of her accent.

He looked at her puzzled, but her look told him she would explain in the hall. "She is right, I do know where they are. Or at the very least, where they were ten minutes ago. If we go now, we should catch them before they all start doing something else. You can meet the entire science club in one fell swoop," Lucas replied.

"Great, thank you Principal Durst, I'm sure I'll fit in here," she said.

"Good luck, Miss Vatrini," Durst wished.

Once in the hall, he turned to Nikki and asked, "What is with the accent? You've been lying to me the whole time, haven't you? Was any of what you said true?"

"The accents, yes that was plural, come and go. Side affect of being at a performing arts school for the past seven years with a focus on drama. I am a mimic, and that usually doesn't go over terribly well, so I tend to try to stick with the accent that I meet the person on. Yes I am from New York, I was born and raised in Brooklyn, I just usually don't have an accent as I went to school in Manhattan, I took the train in every day. So, no I haven't been lying to you the whole time, I was talking to my mom in the car and she has a rather noticeable accent. So it stuck for a moment. It happens all the time. A week ago my brother thought that our irish server was going to spit in our food because I was the only one not only without a Brooklyn accent, I was the only one other than the server in the entire restaurant that was speaking with an irish accent. You can even call my brother and ask," she replied, offering him her phone.

"That is ok, come on, last time I saw Josie and Corrine they were in the common area, and if we are lucky, Marshall and Vaughn might help us take your bags upstairs," he said, still trying to size up the spunky teen next to him.

"So, what was that you said about a science club?" Nikki asked as they arrived outside the common room.

When they entered the room, he was ambushed by Josie, who started talking really fast, "Ok, I know I was a real jerk yesterday, but I realized you were right, so I went and apologized to Vaughn yesterday and we are kind of dating now, so I just wanted to thank you for your great advice yesterday. So, no defending of my honor is necessary, at least not by you. But thanks. And thanks for not interrupting me. Lucas, are you going to say something now that I'm done, like introduce us to your new friend," Josie finished.

"Hold on, I'm still trying to process what you just said," he replied holding up his hands. After a moment he put his hands down and spoke. "Thanks, I think, glad I could help. I'm not really sure I intended it as advice, but sure. This is Nikki Vatrini. No, I have no idea if that is short for anything, but she is from New York, she transferred from a performing arts school, so she sometimes slips into weird accents without noticing it, and she is your new roommate. Yes you get to keep Corrine as well, yes I already mentioned the science club, as I am aware, rooming with you two, she does not have much of a choice, yes she is interested, and yes, Vaughn, Marshall, and I will carry her bags up to the room with you guys, so you can get to know her better," Lucas replied.

"We will?" Marshall asked, but Corrine smacked him in the stomach. "I mean we will," he corrected.

"Great," Vaughn muttered sarcastically.

"Uh, Lucas, can we have an impromptu science club meeting over here?" Josie asked.

When the five of them were gathered in a corner, she rounded on Lucas. "What was that? What do you know about her? Is she a spy, can we trust her, is she a spy? How do you know we can trust her, is she a spy? It is rather suspicious, I thought it was two to a room? Why did she get stuck with us, and most importantly, is she a spy?" she asked.

"I don't know, but if she is a spy, it is best if we keep her close, make her think that nothing is going on, if we act suspicious, she will think something is going on. And about the room thing, I saw the plans for the school once, your wing is designed to support up to six people per room, if bunk beds are used," Lucas replied.

"He's right. My father once told me that I was lucky to get one of the six person rooms for my self, he said that there were five rooms in each set of the dorms, five on the girls side, five on the boys side that were intended to support six people," Vaughn said.

"Besides, she is living in your room. The two of you have been involved in more of the black hole crap than any of us, she will find out eventually. I'm not saying let's tell her right away, I'm saying let's keep an eye on her. We will have to not talk about black hole stuff in meetings for a while, but I think we will manage. Plus, if one of us is always around her, if she is a spy we will be able to catch her if she slips up. Besides, I have to show her around any way, and you must be crazy if you think I'm showing her where the girl areas of the school are," Lucas replied.

"Fine, but if this blows up in our faces, I'm throwing you into the black hole," Josie replied. "Nikki, how would you like to join the science club?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice, turning around to face her.

"That would be great, I need some friends, and you all seem very nice," Nikki replied. If she noticed the tone in Josie's, she ignored it.

"Super, boys, get the things, we'll go ahead and open the door," Josie said as she started to lead Corrine and Nikki out of the room.

"I really hate you sometimes, Luke," Marshall sighed, picking up a bag, and dragging it to the door.

"Welcome to black hole high, Nikki Vatrini," Vaughn muttered under his breath, following suit.

"This is going to be a long day," Lucas thought aloud, trailing behind.

A/N: I know, that sucked, but it was all I could come up with, the next one will be better, I promise, all about Nikki will be revealed in due time. By the way, the accent affliction is real, the plight of a mimic is not funny, I know from experience. Next chap, they show Nikki around the school. Will she see something she wasn't meant to see? Ponder that for me. Any way, read and review and I will luv you forever- Kat


	3. Not Your Average School

A/N: this story was started before the Tyler is a chameleon episode, I may make a reference to it here or there, like the Lucas abandoning the group thing, but I don't think it will affect my story much, so I probably won't incorporate it into my story. By the way, I have some stuff in this chapter for Sparks and kaitins. BROOKLYN!

Disclaimer: all I own are Nikki and the crazy plot bunnies hopping around in my head. Please don't sue.

Ch. 3: Not Your Average School

"So, is Nikki short for something?" Corrine asked.

"Yeah. It's short for Nicola," Nikki replied.

"That's pretty. How did your parents decide on that?" Josie asked.

"Funny you should ask. It's kind of a family tradition. My great grandmother was Nicola, and her great grandmother before that, and so on. My first born great granddaughter will be Nicola. And since I was the first girl of this generation, I was named Nicola. Its funny, because my father always brags to his brother that if my cousin had been born a month earlier, she could have been Nicola. It is a big deal in my family. And if you have the gall to name someone other than the first born great granddaughter of the last Nicola Nicola, you are disowned. My parents even refuse to call me Nikki, because they see it as a great honor to be named Nicola. You should hear them. 'We didn't name you Nicola so you could spit on heritage by calling yourself something as vulgar as Nikki,'" she said in a perfect Italian accent.

"Hey, that was pretty good," Marshall commented.

"Thanks," Nikki replied.

"So, how was it living in New York? I mean, the shopping, the theater, the people. How did your parents ever convince you to leave?" Josie asked.

"Let's just say, I needed a change," Nikki said evasively.

"Well, then you might be disappointed, you just missed the only big changes that are likely to happen for a while," Lucas replied.

"Really, what were those?" Nikki asked.

"Well, Marshall and Corrine finally moved from playing it by ear, to actually dating, and Josie and Vaughn just last night realized they were being stupid and are finally... well, not dating, because you have to have gone on a date to say you're dating, but let's just say Vaughn's off limits too," Lucas replied.

"I'll keep that in mind. Not that I was planning on dating much, but no need to worry about foolish crushes from you two. That's good to know, not that I would be daft enough to try and steal my roommates boyfriends, but it eliminates the chance for potential faux pas. Sorry if that didn't make any sense, I tend to ramble," Nikki said.

"It's ok, I ramble too. Since you don't plan on stealing our boyfriends, we shouldn't have many problems living together," Josie replied.

"Glad to hear it," Nikki said.

"So, Nikki, what is your favorite musical?" Marshall asked. When everybody looked at him questioningly, he answered, "What, my mom is a musical freak, I grew up having to listen to them all."

"Probably Jekyll and Hyde. What about you?" she asked.

"Producers. All the way," he replied.

"What is it with guys and the Producers? Just about every guy I know loves that musical. Not that I mind it, and Cady is nice and all, but it is not the greatest thing, like all guys seem to think," Nikki said.

"What are you talking about? It is the greatest. And who is Cady?" Marshall asked.

"Have you seen Jekyll and Hyde? Or even Phantom? And Cady is Cady Huffman, she plays Ulla in Producers. She has from the beginning," Nikki answered.

"Yes, I've seen both Jekyll and Hyde and the Phantom of the Opera, and I guess you like the whole macabre thing, but- wait, did you just say you know Ulla? As in personally?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah, she taught a workshop at my last school, she was really nice. And I'm not talking about the of the Opera Phantom. I'm talking about the just plain Phantom. It is one of the best musicals there is. A lot better than Producers," Nikki said.

"You're whacked. Granted, I've never seen Phantom, I can guarantee you Producers is better," Marshall retorted.

"You can guarantee all you wish, but I'm telling you, not only does Phantom have a better plot, it is structured better, written better, has better actors, and better songs, it is fundamentally a better play. Just stop arguing with me, I have been studying musicals since I was two," Nikki said.

"Pack it in, Marshall, she has you worked, and if she doesn't, I'm not sure I want a boyfriend who is more of a woman than I am," Corrine teased, sitting down on her bed.

"Oh, yeah, you're going to break up with me over that? Not if I have anything to say about it," Marshall replied, walking over and leaning over her.

"Oh, yeah, what are you going to do," Corrine fired back.

"No, stop, my eyes can't handle it. Too mushy," Lucas joked, pretending to be blind.

"Haha, shouldn't we be showing Nikki around anyway?" Corrine asked.

"Woah, I object," Nikki spoke suddenly.

"You object to what?" Corrine asked.

"On the grounds of Brooklyn, I object to you talking about me as though I were not in the room," she replied.

"Sorry, Spot, won't happen again. Would you like to take the tour now, or just shoot some marbles, I think we have some root beer bottles in the trash," Marshall replied sarcastically.

"Well, since my good shooters and sling are packed, I think I'll let yous all take mes on that tour, Jacky-boy," she replied.

"Whatever you say, Conlon, but if you ask me to dance, or sing, or talk about Santa Fe, I'm gonna lose it," Marshall said.

"Ok, but will you at least do the spit shake?" Nikki asked.

"Can I wash my hand after?" Marshall returned.

"That spoils it," Nikki whined. When Marshall gave her a look, she relented, "Fine, you can wash your hand after. And no hawking, that's just gross," she added, spitting into her palm and offering to Marshall, who did the same.

"Eww, gross, what did you guys do that for? And what on earth did what you all just said mean, because I don't think the rest of the room is in on it," Corrine asked as soon as she realized what was going on.

"Sorry, when I get on a Newsies tangent it is kind of hard to get me off of it, especially if you are going along with me. Oh, by the way, your boyfriend can wash his hand now," Nikki said.

"I'll be right back," Marshall said, ducking out of the room.

"So what was all that?" Vaughn asked.

"Ok, slowly, in small words I guess, Newsies is a musical, made into a movie staring Christian Bale, Dave Moscow, and Bill Pulman, about the news boys strike of the turn of the last century. I was Spot Conlon, leader of the Brooklyn Newsies, and Marshall was Jack Kelley, aka Francis Sullivan, leader of the strike, and news boy extra ordinaire. It started when I said I object, and ended with the spit shake. Sorry about the gross out factor, but they were a bunch of orphaned and/or runaway boys. And the spit shake was a sort of pact for them. Done only with friends, or people you wanted on your side. It is a big deal in the Newsie world," Nikki replied.

"She's right, it is," Marshall replied, coming back into the room.

"Great, now that we've established the importance of the gross custom, can we get on with the tour?" Josie asked impatiently.

"On second thought, can I wash my hand first?" Nikki asked.

"Please. The bathroom is the second door on the right if you head toward the end of the hall," Josie replied.

"Great, back in a flash," Nikki said.

As soon as she was sure Nikki was out of the room, Josie turned to every one and asked, "I like her, and the fact that she is not going to try to steal my boyfriend, but does anyone actually trust her?"

"Hey, any one who can turn any conversation into a Newsies related one is ok in my book," Marshall said.

"Great, the boy who just spit into his palm, and shook an almost strangers hand trusts her because she likes a movie," Josie said.

"It is not just a movie, it is one of the best movies ever made, and I'm older than you, Jose, so if I'm a boy what are you," Marshall fired back.

"Ok, you guys, granted, what just happened was a little juvenile, but now is not the time to divide. We need to stick together. Now more than ever, especially if she is a spy. Whether we want to be or not, she is in our midst now, and we can't do any thing about it, so stop fighting," Corrine said.

"I'm ready," Nikki said breezing back into the room.

"Let's go then," Corrine sighed.

"So, this is the hall, it is pretty easy to find your way, classes are this way, the bathroom is that way, and the girls across the hall would just as soon spit on us as talk to us," Josie said.

"No asking them for cups of sugar, got it," Nikki replied as they moved down the hall.

"The boys rooms are on this side of the stair case, this is Marshall and Lucas' room, and Vaughns' room is the last room down the hall. If you need one of us we will be either in one of the rooms, the lab, or the common room. Moving down the stairs, we have the theater, the green room, the cafeteria, class rooms, we can show you the ones you need to know tomorrow, no need to destroy the day, then we have the common room, the patio access, and principal Dursts' office. Here on our left is the lab, and through this door is Professor Z's office. He is on your schedule as Professor Zachary, but we all call him Z. He is away this weekend, but he will be back tomorrow for class. The fountain is out back, the garage is next to the driveway, and town is about ten minutes walk that way," Josie finished, pointing.

"Great, that sounds like everything. Are there any room rules, besides the no sharing boyfriends one?" Nikki asked.

"Not really, just don't spy on us, and don't leave your stuff all over the room, and we should have no problems," Corrine said.

"Great, sounds like a plan, so, now what do we do, now that the tour is over?" Nikki asked.

"Well, actually, count me and Marshall out, we have plans," Corrine said.

"Um, us too, we have a date," Josie said, grabbing Vaughn's hand.

"Great, now you are all ditching me," Lucas commented.

"Sorry, Luke, we can hang out next weekend," Marshall called, being led away by Corrine. "It was nice to meet you Nikki."

"Yeah, I'll see you later at the room, Nikki," Corrine said.

"Same for us, later Luke, bye Nick, have fun," Josie called.

"Oh, and if you see a strange purple light- ow, what was that for?" Vaughn complained as Josie smacked him upside his head, to silence him, pulling him along faster.

"And then there were two," Lucas said. "So, you're new, what do you want to do?"

"Well, have you ever seen the Newsies, because if not you're overdue for an all out orphan news boy musical extravaganza," Nikki replied.

"Sure, why not, there is a DVD player in my room, we can watch it in there," Lucas said, leading the way back to his room. When they were outside the lab they heard the sound of papers blowing around and saw the familiar purple light.

"What on earth is that?" Nikki asked.

"Really hard to explain," Lucas mumbled.

A/N: There you go, another chapter. I hope you like it. And if you have never seen the Newsies, get your butt out there and pick up a copy, you are missing out. It is one of the best movies ever made. Read and review. Luv, Kat.


	4. Lies have been told

A/N: here is the next chapter. Sorry it has taken so long. Work caught up to me, and other stories, which I will post here soon, and my isp died, so I was cut off everywhere. Good news is that the time I would have been online was for the most part spent writing, so I should have a lot for you all soon. And I'll try to keep the newsies references to a minimum for those of you who haven't seen it. I'm glad I could make at least one person smile. Of course I am, Kaitins. Jacky-boy in all that tight leather. Yummy. By the way, you can call me Kat, you don't need to refer to me as author. And this part is for butterflyKisses, everyone else can skip down to the next paragraph. It may get a little harsh, and if it does, I apologize. I know you don't think this is so, but Nikki was modeled after real people. In fact she is modeled mainly after me. And when I say mainly, I mean she is me. Barring the looks, name, and some of her history, she is me. She has all my knowledge, my personality, and reacts to things the same way I do. I don't think that it is a bad policy to model Nikki after myself, as the cardinal rule of writing is write what you know, and not to seem pompous, but I know myself better than almost anything else. And I'm sorry if you are taking any offense to this, but I just have two more things to say to you. If you know you don't know how to spell the word, open up your Word Processing Application and use spell check to figure out how to spell it properly. (By the way, you spelled descriptiveness right, but "yet another wrongly spelled word" is one of the most grammatically incorrect sentences I've ever seen.) And if you don't like my writing, don't read my writing, it is as simple as that. You are the only person who has reviewed me negatively. I don't write for you. I write for people like kaitins, oranges rock and sparks kelly. Nothing you say is going to make me stop writing. I realize I was the only person in the category who was updating more than once every couple weeks, but if you don't like me don't read me. I'm not trying to write out of character, but if I were perfect at writing in character, I probably would have been asked to write on the show. It is fan fiction for a reason. I'm sorry if you think I'm attacking you, but that was not my intention. I just took it a little personally when you said I basically have no personality. I'm so sorry you're not used to color.

Now that that is off my chest, on with the show. Sorry for the delay, and many thanks to all of my positive reviewers. You all mean the world to me. Luv, Kat.

Disclaimer: don't own Strange Days, or its characters. If I did I wouldn't be here. Well, maybe I would, but I wouldn't be writing strange days fic. I'd be making my fic into episodes. Muah ha ha ha. Oh, wait. That is not real. Darn those hallucinations!

Ch. 4: Lies Have Been Told

"What? I can't hear you when you mumble, Lucas," Nikki said.

"Oh, sorry, that happens sometimes. As a senior prank one year, a class messed with the power and made all the lights flicker purple for an entire day. They never really figured out how to turn it off properly. So it still happens occasionally. Marshall must have forgotten to turn the timer off on the wind machine in the science lab. Just give me a second and I'll turn it off," he covered, slipping into the lab, praying she both bought the story, and that she didn't see the vortex.

He waited in there until the vortex mercifully shut it's self off thirty seconds later. When he joined her back in the hall, he apologized, "Sorry about that. I couldn't reach the switch."

"No prob, at least you got it," she said.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"You're still bent about all your friends ditching you, aren't you?" she asked.

"No, of course not, I'm happy they have decided to stop kidding each other," he said. When she looked at him pointedly he amended, "Maybe a little. I mean, Marshall and I have been friends forever. Well, at least since we have been going here. And Corrine has been my friend for a while too. I've liked Josie as long as I've known her. Vaughn, well, I've never really seen eye to eye with Vaughn, but I don't hate the guy. I mean its not his fault that Josie likes him better. But, if you don't mind I'd rather not talk about this. And just so you know, that weird incite full, I know what you are thinking without you having to say it thing is very unnerving in a person you have just met," Lucas noted.

"I'll keep that in mind. That doesn't mean I'll actually stop it, I may back off, but I won't stop," she replied.

"Why not?" Lucas asked.

"Because I believe that all humans have that inherent ability, they just learn that listening to their instincts gets them into trouble when they are little, so they stop listening to the little voice that tells them what everyone else is thinking. Which is stupid, because to deny that is to deny a fundamentally human thing. So, I'll take into consideration what you said, but I won't stop all together," she explained. When he just looked at her blankly, she burst out laughing, "I'm just kidding. I'll stop. I'm sorry, that was the by-product of too many psych books and too many classes to teach you about how to read peoples motives. Really, I am sorry, just sometimes people make it too easy. I'll try not to do it again," Nikki apologized.

"Ok, lets just go watch that movie," Lucas said, turning a little red at being so gullible.

"So, what do you think about Nikki?" Vaughn asked Josie as they drove into town.

"I don't really know. I mean she seems nice enough, and I have no reason not to trust her, but I just don't know," Josie sighed.

"What are you thinking about, Corrine?" Marshall asked while they were eating dinner.

"Nikki," she said.

"Care to elaborate?" Marshall questioned.

"I don't know if I trust her. It seems like such a coincidence, her showing up now. Tyler just found out, and we have no idea what he did, I just feel like we are losing control of the situation," she sighed.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I trust her," Marshall replied.

"Yeah the spit thing. Remind me not to hold your right hand for a while," Corrine joked.

Later that day

"That was a great movie, for a musical," Lucas said, after the credits had rolled.

"I told you you'd like it," Nikki replied.

"One thing is for sure, I'll never look at Christian Bale the same way again," Lucas joked.

"So, when do you think the others will be back? Not that you're not great company, I'd just like to get to know my roomies a little better before I actually sleep next to them," Nikki said.

"They should be back soon. The mall in town closes at seven on Sunday. It is quarter till now. We can go down to dinner and when we get back they all should be back too. Or if your feeling really crazy, we can go into town and get a burger, a much safer option, I might add," Lucas pointed out.

"Yeah, burgers sound great, I'll run and get my jacket and leave a note for Josie and Corrine, and be right back," Nikki promised.

When Nikki opened the door to her room, she was only half surprised to see Corrine and Marshall making out on Corrine's bed.

"Never mind me, carry on, I'm just here to get my jacket, Lucas and I are going for burgers. If Josie returns from Vaughn's room before we get back, tell her where we are," Nikki said nonchalantly, breezing back out of the room.

She made it all the way back to Lucas and Marshall's room before she burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lucas asked.

"I just walked in on Corrine and Marshall making out in my room. You should have seen their faces. It was priceless. Ok, I'm over it. So, shall we be off," Nikki asked.

"Sure," Lucas agreed.

"Hey guys, were back, stop talking about us," Nikki announced, opening the door to her room an hour later to find the four other members of the science club sitting around the now fairly cramped room.

"Hey, Nikki, did you get Lucas to sit through Newsies?" Marshall asked.

"I did, he was a bit hesitant at first, but once I pointed out that you loved it, he changed his tune. He said it was a great movie, for a musical, and that he'll never look at Christian Bale the same way again, so it's a start. I didn't really love it till the fourth time I saw it. Granted I was seven the first time I saw it, but give him a few more times, and I think he will grow to appreciate it the way we do," Nikki replied.

"You know that bug you have up your butt about people talking about you as though you weren't in the room? I don't like it terribly much either," Lucas grumbled.

"Sorry, Luke. Won't happen again. So, we have a while before curfew, what are we going to do?" Nikki asked.

"Well, I think the only one of us who can safely say they know you at all is Luke. I mean, other than some weird family tidbits, your love for acting and musicals and your weird affinity for Newsies in particular, we don't really know much about you," Corrine noted.

"I could say the same thing about all of you," Nikki pointed out.

"So, we all ask questions, but every one has to answer, even the questioner, understood? Good. I'll start," Josie stated. "Any siblings? I'm an only child," she started.

"Just Grant, my older brother," Marshall replied adding the last part for Nikki's benefit.

"Only child," Vaughn added.

"One brother, Matthew, one sister, Laura, both older," Lucas replied.

"An older sister, Abigail," Corrine responded.

"Ok, I have three brothers, Michael, Nicolas, and Frank. Mike is older, Niko is my twin, but I'm older by five minutes, and Frankie is the baby of the family. And I have two younger sisters, Annamarie and Isabella. They are in the middle, between Nico and Frankie. Don't ask me what my parents were thinking, I'll never know. So, favorite movie,?" Nikki asked.

In the basement somewhere.

"The cards are all falling into place. They are beginning to trust the one who will save us all," a mysterious voice spoke.

"So, does anyone really trust her?" Corrine asked an hour later while Nikki was in the bathroom.

"I'm not really sure. She does seem a little weird. But I have no reason to doubt her," Marshall said.

"Right, the spit thing. Any one else? How about you Lucas, you have spent the most time with her. What is your take on her?" Corrine asked.

"I take it that means you don't trust her. Which is why I find it funny that you all would leave me alone with her. Why did you all do that by the way? For all we know, she is a spy. Not that I believe that now, but I thought that it was a distinct possibility then. And yet you all left me with her. Why? Am I still the expendable one? Have I not proven myself enough yet? When will you let me be included again in your tight inner circles? I don't have a girlfriend, so I can't be part of it? What do I have to do? If I ask out Nikki will you let me in the inner sanctum? Will you then trust her? Because I know you think that I am just a conspiracy nut, but-"

He was cut off by Nikki, who opened the door. "Hey, what were you guys talking about?"

"A band that was playing in town last weekend," Corrine replied.

"Oh, yeah? Were they any good?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, they were great," Josie answered.

"Great, are they playing again soon? What are they called, maybe I can check them out," Nikki noted.

"Garage Band's Revenge," Marshall said shiftly.

"No way, the same Garage Band's Revenge that is based in Indianapolis?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, you know them?" Marshall asked.

"Of course. I'm so bummed I missed them. So, is the janitor like ill or something?" Nikki asked.

"What do you mean?" Josie asked.

"Well when I went to the bathroom, he was coming out, and he stared at me until the door closed behind me. Then when I came out, he watched me the whole way down the hall. It was just kind of creepy," Nikki shuddered to emphasize her point.

"He is just a little off sometimes. Don't worry about him. He's harmless," Corrine assured her.

"If you say so. Hey isn't curfew in like five minutes?" Nikki asked, looking at her watch.

"Yeah, the guys should get back to their rooms. I'll be back in a minute," Corrine spoke, heading off to the bathroom.

As she came out, she was startled by the janitor, who grabbed her shoulders and spoke an inch from her face, "You need to trust her. She is the key to everything. Without her, you will all fail."

"What are you talking about?" Corrine asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. You have to trust her. She is the key," the janitor turned after saying that and was around the corner before Corrine had even realized that he had released her.

A/N: so, there is chapter four. It is a long chapter, so hopefully you all won't disown me. I tried. Really I did. Things were out of my control. I will tell you that it is not some weird Buffy thing, as calling her a key might imply. Please review. Don't hurt me!


	5. A Strange Return

Disclaimer: Still waiting for Jim Raspas to become insane enough to give the show to me, but as that probably won't happen any time soon, and I admit this with chagrin, I still don't own Strange Days.

Ch. 5: A Strange Return

Corrine made her way to back to the room trying to calm herself the whole way. She wasn't worried about Vaughn or Lucas knowing something was wrong, but she knew that Marshall and Josie would know something was up. And something told her that Nikki would know as well.

Taking one final breath, she walked back into her room, trying to convey to the incite full ones to wait till the others were out of the room.

Nikki caught on rather quickly and suddenly spoke, "Ok, guys, time to go back to your room, curfew is any time now and if Durst catches you all in here, I'm guessing there will be hell to pay. Oh, hey Marshall, wait a sec, the fact that you have never see Phantom is a crime, and while I don't have a video copy of the play, I have the soundtrack, if you wait a sec, I'll loan it to you," she finished, going over to her suitcase and pretending to rummage for the right CD case.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead, Luke, I'll catch up," Marshall told Lucas.

"Yeah, see you in a sec," Lucas called over his shoulder as he was leaving.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jose," Vaughn said, kissing Josie on the cheek, and following Lucas.

Nikki pulled out the soundtrack as soon as they were outside the door and handed it to Marshall. "My guess is you have two minutes tops. If I knock once, it means Durst is coming down the hall. Twice means she is at the stairs. Three times means she is next door, and four means we have to somehow turn Marshall invisible because she is right outside," Nikki finished, following Josie to the door.

"Done this much at your old school, Spot?" Marshall asked.

"Once or twice. Don't get caught, Jacky-Boy," she called over her shoulder.

"What happened?" Marshall asked, as soon as the door had shut.

"As I was coming out of the bathroom, the janitor grabbed me and told me we have to trust her. That she is the key. That without her we will fail. What does that mean?" she asked.

"What do you think it means?" Marshall asked.

"I think it means the janitor knows more than he is letting on and he thinks we need to trust Nikki or we will all be in trouble. What can he know that we don't?" she asked.

"I don't know. I do know that we need to figure out what we are going to do soon, before-" Marshall was cut of by a sharp knock on the door. "One knock. We will talk more tomorrow. We will figure this all out. Just do me a favor and remember that she seems to know what we are all thinking before we tell her. I'll see you in the morning," he sighed, kissing her cheek as two knocks sounded.

"Night Marshall," Corrine sighed.

"Night," he said, reluctantly turning the knob and tucking the CD into his pocket. "Thanks, Spot," he whispered as they passed each other. "Night, Principal Durst," the three of them heard him say as they shut the door.

Breakfast the next morning was kind of tense. Corrine hadn't slept well, Marshall was concerned about her, Josie was mad that Corrine hadn't told her why she was so upset when she came in last night, and even Vaughn and Lucas seemed to be aware that there was tension in the group. Nikki kept trying to start conversation, if only between her Lucas and Vaughn to cover the silence. She gave up after realizing that it just made the silence more striking.

After breakfast they walked to the science room to see if Professor Z was there so that they could introduce Nikki.

"Z?" Lucas called as they walked into the room.

"Lucas, how was your weekend?" Z asked. He looked a little startled for a second when he noticed Nikki, and tried to recover. "Hi, I'm Professor Zachary. I teach science, and I'm guessing you have fallen in with my favorite students. Um, there was a note," he mumbled, searching his desk. A second later he surfaced with a piece of paper, "Yes, here we go, Nicola Vatrini from New York. How did you meet the science club?"

"Please, its Nikki. And I'm rooming with Corrine and Josie. I've heard a bit about you. Don't worry, it was mostly good," she joked.

"I deny everything they said about me," Professor Z laughed.

"Nikki is going to join the science club," Vaughn blurted.

"Really," Professor Z mused. "Well, you'll need a book. Vaughn, will you do me a favor and run Miss Vatrini, sorry, Nikki to the library?" Z asked.

"Yeah, sure, we'll be right back," he agreed, leading Nikki out of the room.

As soon as they were out of ear shot, Professor Z asked, "Does she know about the vortex?"

"No. She saw it through the door yesterday, but I'm almost positive she didn't see it fully. She just saw the purple glow," Lucas sighed.

"How did you explain it?" Z asked.

"I explained the light as a senior prank that we haven't been fully able to counter, and the wind as a wind machine on a timer. I think she believed me. I can't be sure, but she seems to not like it when people lie to her, and she did not say anything," Lucas replied.

"So why did you let her in the club? Do you think she is a spy?" he asked.

"How come that is everyone's immediate reaction? From what I saw yesterday, no. Corrine still has her doubts, but I don't and I spent hours with her yesterday. I honestly thought at first that it was a distinct possibility, but now I highly doubt it," he sighed.

"So, we have no reason to suspect her?" Z inquired.

"Not as far as I can see," Lucas replied.

"Well, you don't know what I know," Corrine muttered darkly.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"Last night, when I was leaving the bathroom, the janitor grabbed me and told me that we have to trust her, that without her we would fail. That she was the key," she tapered off.

"Which leads us to another question of character. How well do we trust the janitor? We all know he is involved, but do we believe him?" Marshall mused.

"I don't know, but I think that this is all going to become an issue soon. We have been ignoring too many potential problems. First there is Tyler, then the Qi-Gong ball, what happened to Vaughn's mother, where is she, what happened to Pearadyne, and most importantly, how is the lab related to the vortex?" Josie asked somewhat rhetorically.

"Now is not the time to figure that out. Take your seats, we will talk later," Z ordered, as other students came into the room.

"Class, we have a new student. Her name is Nicola Vatrini, but she prefers Nikki, and she comes to us from a performing arts high school in New York. Would you like to come up and tell us a little about your self?" Z asked five minutes later, when every one was in their seats.

"Yeah, sure," she agreed, walking to the front. "Ok, I'm Nikki, I'm sixteen, I grew up in Brooklyn, but went to a performing arts school in Manhattan, with emphasis on drama, but some of the choir girls were out for my blood because I always got the female lead in the school musicals. I have a strange affinity for musicals, I have seen most of them that have ever come to Broadway. I have five siblings, three brothers and two sisters, and all but one is younger than me, and one is my twin. I am rooming with Corrine and Josie, and I hope to make it to graduation before I get so home sick that I run back home to New York," she finished.

"Why did you leave the city?" Madison asked.

"I wasn't aware that this was a question and answer kind of thing," Nikki replied, getting uncomfortable.

"It's a simple question, why does it make you so nervous? What are you hiding?" Madison prodded.

Getting her emotions in check, she shot back, putting a measured amount of venom in her words, "I'm not hiding anything. I just don't think it is any of your business. All you need to know is that was I there and now I'm here. Now, if it is ok with you, I'm going to sit down, before you stick your foot so far down your throat that it comes out the other end. Excuse me," Nikki spat, storming down the aisle back to her desk next to Lucas.

"Ok, now that everyone knows not to mess with the new kid, lets get started, shall we?" Z tried to joke and take control of the class at the same time.

"New girl," Madison called as they were leaving science class later.

"Look, in case I didn't make it clear before, I don't need a best friend, and you don't want to mess with me, so unless you are going to tell me that I left my pencil in class, it is in your best interest to just keep walking, and I'll pretend you did not just try to talk to me," Nikki tried to brush her off.

"Can you do the splits?" Madison asked.

"Yes, I can, but no, I don't want to join your cheerleading squad," Nikki replied.

"So I see that you asked about me, I can't say I'm completely horrified," Madison smirked.

"I didn't ask a thing, the only person who has ever asked me that question was the cheerleading captain of a rival high school, you conceited little diva. In fact I think the only people who go around randomly asking other people if they can to the splits are cheerleading captains. So please excuse me if I don't demonstrate, but cheerleaders rub me the wrong way, and if you even start to give me the speech about hanging around with the science club hurting my social standings here, I will be forced to tell you that you are full of it and will realize ten years from now that you wasted your life doing the popular thing and that your life is meaningless, and that you have no true friends, and would give anything to have any true inkling of what people really think of you. Now when that day comes I would like for you to remember this, but I know that this particular memory will have been pushed out of your brain by next years cheer routine, seeing as half of the words are too large for you to understand. But mark my word it will come, and when it does, a little voice will tell you I told you so, and that voice? That voice is me, so please move on, before I am forced to do something that will make you remember this moment," Nikki spat.

"Oh, yeah, what kind of-" Madison was cut off by a voice at the end of the hall.

"You should listen to her, Madison. She means every word she says," the voice spoke.

They all turned to the end of the hall, and saw a figure that none really wanted or expected to see.

"Tyler," Nikki whispered.

"What is he doing back and how does she know him?" Josie whispered to the rest of the science club.

A/N: I know, evil cliffie. What can I say, I like them. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, things got really crazy at work this holiday, and didn't have any time to write. I'm sorry. I promise I am almost done with the intro stuff, and I will start going somewhere with this story soon. Read and review, please. Luv, Kat


	6. Childhood Friends

A/N: there was some confusion on this point according to some of the reviews, so I will try to clear it up. I was going to try to incorporate as much of what has happened in the show as I see it as I could while making it believable. One thing I thought I could get away with is bringing Tyler back from the other school he went to, as I wanted him in this story. So that is where he went. And now he is back. So with little further ado, on with the story. I promise there is some action this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Nikki and maybe the plot. Anything you recognize, I don't own. Please stop suing me!

Ch. 6: Childhood Friends

"Nicola Vatrini, I can't say this is a totally unpleasant surprise," Tyler spoke as he sauntered down the hall.

"For the five hundred thousandth time, the name is Nikki, Jessup. And I wish I could say the same thing about seeing you," she spat.

"Now, now, Nick, is that anyway to greet a childhood friend?" Tyler asked.

"It is when you haven't spoken to the person in five years and found them oddly shallow, far too materialistic, and rather self centered in the first place," Nikki replied.

"Oh, right. How could I forget. How is your family?" he changed gears.

"My parents are fine, Mike started college, Nico is at school in New York still, Anna and Bella are in Junior High now and Frankie is a proud fifth grader. How are your parents?" she asked.

"Both carrying on well. Neither worse for wear," Tyler responded.

"Good then. Well, it's been wonderful catching up, but I really must run, so give your parents my best, and if you see me in the halls, well, just pretend you don't, ok?" Nikki spoke sarcastically, turning on her heel and walking down the hall, the bewildered science club following her.

"What the hell was that?" Lucas asked, stopping them as soon as they were out of earshot.

"My dad is a contractor. He redid Tyler's dad's loft a few years back. We hung out a lot back then. He pissed me off then, he pisses me off now, but he asked how my family was to be polite and so I wouldn't kick his ass again for not minding his own business, so I answered, reciprocated, and ended the conversation. I always thought he was a jerk, I think he finally cottoned on. Aren't we late?" she asked, pushing past Lucas.

"Yeah, we are," Lucas sighed, realizing that he would get nothing more from her. "Wait, kick his ass again? When did you kick Tyler's ass?" Lucas asked.

"Which time?" Nikki replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Um, are you serious? Never mind, I don't think I want to know. If I tell you that you are starting to scare me, will you take it the wrong way?" he questioned.

"I'm only starting to scare you?" Nikki joked.

"So, how was your first week here?," Josie asked a week later when they were all hanging out in the girls room. Josie was sitting on her bed with Vaughn's arms wrapped around her and they were playing a game of cards. Corrine and Marshall were sitting holding hands and leaning up against the wall on Corrine's bed reading books. Nikki was sitting on her bed, and Lucas was sitting backwards in one of the desk chairs, and leaning back against the desk, both reading magazines.

"Good, except for the facts that Madison can't take the hint that I don't want to be a cheerleader and that everywhere I turn there is Tyler," Nikki replied absently.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think that even Madison is so thick headed that she won't figure it out soon. And what did Tyler do exactly to make you dislike him so?" Corrine asked.

"Let's just say he betrayed my trust a few too many times," Nikki stated secretively. "Are you sure you don't want to share the bed with me, Skywalker? You can't be comfortable with the desk digging into your back like that," Nikki noted.

"Yeah, sure, that would be great, my back is starting to fall asleep," Lucas agreed, getting up from the chair.

"I'm guessing you finally settled on a nickname for Lucas, Nickname Queen?" Corrine asked.

"Not really, I'm still torn between Jean Luc Picard and Luke Skywalker, I think I might just switch off," Nikki said.

"Ah, the age old question, Star Wars or Star Trek. How on earth do you choose, Spot?" Marshall asked.

"I don't know, Jack, I may never know, but they both fit, so I'm going with them," Nikki replied.

"So, what grade did you guys get on your history reports, guys?" Vaughn asked suddenly.

"Corrine and I got an A," Marshall replied, looking over the top of his copy of _The Bourne Supremacy._

"A minus," Josie replied.

"What did you and Kubiak get?" Lucas asked.

"C plus," Vaughn answered.

"Bet that is the first C plus Stu has gotten since first grade," Corrine joked.

"Yeah, that is what he said," Vaughn laughed.

"Hey Spot, did you ever get caught up on your reading for English?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah, Jacky-Boy, I did. Thanks though," Nikki replied distractedly.

"Nicks, are you telling us the truth?" Lucas asked.

"Maybe," Nikki spoke innocently.

"Nikki, you had all weekend, why didn't you finish? And more importantly, why aren't you reading now, if you aren't finished?" Lucas scolded.

"But I'm taking a quiz to find out what color my aura is. Fine Dad," Nikki joked, drawing out the word dad. "Hey, Jack, could you toss me the book by the foot of the bed over there?" she asked Marshall, motioning int the general direction of Corrine's bed.

"What book?" Marshall asked, looking around on the ground.

"It should be right there," Nikki replied, getting up to look herself. Seeing that it wasn't there, she said, "I must have left it down stair somewhere, I'll be right back."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Lucas offered.

"No thanks, but if I'm not back in a half hour, send a search party," she joked.

Once she was out of the room, Lucas put down his magazine and asked, "So, when are we going to tell her about the black hole?"

"So when are you going to stop asking? We are going to tell her when we have to, or when we all completely trust her, which ever comes first," Josie replied.

"Well, if she sees the black hole and has no idea what it is, she could get hurt, it is only a matter of time, she is running in our circle, and we have no idea where Tyler went, but odds are he went to the future, and he had his chameleon powers back then, and we have no idea if he still has them, and the farther along we get, the more likely it becomes that he will show up, and the last thing we need is for Nikki to run into two Tylers, and freak out. The longer we wait, the harder it is going to be to explain, and then there is the hurt and the incomprehension as far as why we would lie to her, and we don't need that, we have enough to worry about trying to figure out the whole Tyler situation, especially now that he is back, and all I'm saying is she knows Tyler, maybe she can help us out getting into his head," Lucas wound down.

"All your saying? Lucas you said a lot there, but I can tell you one thing, you have it bad Mr. Skywalker," Corrine noted.

"No, I don't," Lucas denied. When they all looked at him pointedly, he amended, "Ok, I like Nikki, but that is not why I want to tell her. I don't like lying to her, and I think she can handle the truth."

"You think she can handle the truth, or you want her to be able to handle the truth?" Vaughn asked.

"Don't you patronize me like that, she is our friend, we have shared meals with her, we have taken class with her, and the only thing she has ever lied about to you is whether she was caught up on her homework. And she can tell when we are lying to her. The longer we don't tell her, the harder it will be to explain," Lucas expressed vehemently.

"Then we will cross that hurdle when we get to it, but for now, we have to take every day in stride, and hope she doesn't find out," Josie replied.

"Hope who doesn't find out what?" Nikki asked, coming back in the room.

"That you don't find out that Lucas likes you," Josie joked.

"Aww, Lukey, you have a crush?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, he has it bad," Vaughn joked.

"Ok, guys, leave Lucas alone," Corrine chided.

"Hey, did you find your book?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah, it's right here," she responded, holding up the book and starting to read.

"Good," Marshall said.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Josie asked Vaughn.

"Well, I thought that we could watch a movie in my room," Vaughn answered.

"Sounds great," Josie agreed.

"Alright then, let's go," Vaughn said, picking up the cards and helping Josie up.

"I'll be back before curfew," Josie promised.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Corrine called.

"We should go to, we have to study for that thing in my room," Marshall spoke.

"What thing- oh, that thing, yes, don't wait up, Nikki," Corrine called.

"Very smooth, Marshall," Lucas called.

"Yeah, don't ravage the poor guy, Spot," Marshall called to Nikki.

"Oh, you know me, Marshall," Nikki teased.

"What did you just call him?" Lucas asked.

"I called him Marshall, isn't that his name, Lucas?" Nikki replied.

"Yeah, it is, it's just... never mind," Lucas answered, a chill running up his spine as he realized that the person he was talking to was not Nikki and praying that they didn't realize yet that he knew.

Then another thought passed through his mind that made his blood run cold. If that is not Nikki, then where was she?

A/N: there it is, I don't want to jinx anything by saying my muse is back, so I won't. Next chapter, we find out what happened to the real Nikki. Most of you can probably guess who this Nikki is, but humor me, please. Read and review and I promise I will do my best to get a really good next chapter up soon. Luv, Kat


	7. We All Have Things We Aren’t Proud of In...

A/N: After the recap, I'm going to take it back a few moments in the story, so we can follow Nikki after she leaves her room and find out what happened to her.

Disclaimer: not mine, will never be mine, I'm not trying to say it's mine, please don't sue.

Ch. 7: We All Have Things We Aren't Proud of In Our Past

Recap: "Yeah, don't ravage the poor guy, Spot," Marshall called to Nikki.

"Oh, you know me, Marshall," Nikki teased.

"What did you just call him?" Lucas asked.

"I called him Marshall, isn't that his name, Lucas?" Nikki replied.

"Yeah, it is, it's just... never mind," Lucas answered, a chill running up his spine as he realized that the person he was talking to was not Nikki and praying that they didn't realize yet that he knew.

Then another thought passed through his mind that made his blood run cold. If that is not Nikki, then where was she?

As Nikki walked down the steps she could faintly hear Lucas' voice, but she could not make out what he was saying, so she just kept walking.

"If I were my book, where would I be?" she thought aloud, mentally reviewing where she had last had it, subconsciously slowing her decent of the stairs. "I know I brought it with me out of English, and then in Math I read it after the quiz, and put it back in my bag, and in science club Z was late, so, I took it out while we were waiting, and I... I didn't put it back after club," she finished, turning in the direction of the science room.

When she got to the door, she was almost shocked to see Tyler in the door, holding the door just open, so he could just peek inside.

"Spying on Professor Z, Jessup?" Nikki asked.

When she spoke, he jumped a little, and shut the door quickly behind him.

"Jeez, Nicks, you startled me. Where is your little posse?" Tyler asked, moving in front of the door.

"There are back in my room, why?" she shot back, starting to get a little suspicious when he kept shifting as though to better cover the door.

"Just curious. Professor Zachary is not here, by the way," Tyler said, his nervous and abrupt tone setting off warning bells in her head.

"I know," she spoke, trying not to alert Tyler that she knew he was hiding something. "I'm left my book in here, after club this afternoon, and my friends don't want me to fail English," she finished.

"Yeah, that sounds like the science club. Well, just wait a moment, and I will get it for you," he said.

"My eye you will, I'm not invalid, I will get it myself, unless of course you have a reason for not wanting me to go in there," she replied.

After checking his watch, he nodded to himself, opened the door and said, "No, no reason, go ahead."

"You are acting really weird, Jessup, you know that?" Nikki asked, edging past him through the door.

"How so?" he tried to sound nonchalant, as he followed her as she walked to the desk.

"You just seem like you don't want me here, like you think I'm going to see something you don't want me too," Nikki noted.

"What gave you that idea?" he asked, almost pulling off an airy tone.

"Nothing," she replied, reaching the table and picking up her book.

"Ok, well, you have your book, shall we go then?" he asked, and she could tell he wanted to get her out of there as soon as possible.

"What are you hiding, Tyler? You know you were never good at keeping secrets. Especially not from me," she chided.

"Oh, you know me, Nick. If it's not one thing, it's another," he said in an almost sad tone.

"You are right, Ty, I do know you. I know you well enough to know that you are trying desperately to get me out of this room without actually having to throw me out. And I also know why, so I am going to ask you two things, one, what are you trying to protect me from and two, what do you think gives you the right to protect me any more? You gave up that right, remember?" she asked.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again. You know me Nick. I'm a glutton for punishment. But I bet you five dollars that you don't actually know why," he spoke.

"You arrogant child, always the martyr, aren't you. Always the one who has to come out of the relationship hurt. And I do know why, you are scared of what I will see, that you won't be able to explain it. But as I've said, you have no right to protect me anymore, you gave that right up. So I would like you to answer my questions, before I lose my patience," she said through clenched teeth.

"I am trying to protect you from something you aren't ready to handle, and I promised you a long time ago that I would always protect you , and that is a promise I intend to keep, Nicola," he replied.

"Don't you call me that. Do you know that it used to mean something to me when you called me that? Now it just makes me cringe," Nikki spat.

"You don't mean that, Ne," he said, referring to her by one of his old nicknames for her.

"Don't you tell me that and call me that, I have moved on, Tyler. We all have things in our past that we aren't proud of, and you are my past. The Ty I knew is dead to me, you are dead to me," she spoke louder.

He started to pace a bit as he said, "So, that must mean you have moved on. Who is the lucky guy, huh? Someone from home, maybe Raj? He is cute, blue eyes, dark hair, I see a pattern. Or maybe Pete, the oldest friend, defender, confidant. Or maybe it is someone here," he said, stopping mid-pace, to look at her. "You have a thing for Lucas. And it is more than just proximity and lack of options. You like him. A lot. How cute. Have you told him?" he asked in a bitter tone.

"What business is it of yours?" is what she would have said. Unfortunately, the vortex chose that moment to open.

Before she had time to think, Tyler emerged. She did a double take as the papers that had been disturbed settled to the ground. Nikki voiced the first thought that came to her mind. "Good lord."

"What is she doing here? Since when has it been policy to bring old girlfriends to jumps?" Tyler #2 asked.

"Look, I tried to change it, but like they said, some things can't be changed. Lucky for us, I came prepared. Once you get her down stairs, you will have to get the rest of the science club quickly. We will start with Lucas, he will be alone shortly after I get up there. Wait five minutes in the basement, then come up and help me. Once we are done with that, we have a lot of work to do, and we can't have any accidents this time," Tyler #1 trailed off realizing that Nikki was still in the room.

Nikki finally seemed to find her voice again. "What does that mean?" she asked, the shock of seeing two Tylers melting into fear at his words.

"Don't worry, Nick, you will be fine, I am just trying to make enough the same that I know what will happen, but change the outcome. Night night," Tyler replied, pushing a button on his watch and Nikki fell over unconscious.

A/N: I know, most of that came out of left field for some of you, but if you pay attention to what Nikki says when they ask Nikki about why she does not like Tyler it fits. And most of the time travel stuff is based on my belief of what would be possible if Copernican time travel were possible. For those of you who don't know, there are two theories of time travel, Ptolemaic and Copernican. Ptolemaic is the belief that when you travel thorough time, you stay in place, but the world goes back to the place it was at that particular time. In Copernican time travel, you and the world travel together. Next chapter you will find out more about that theory. Oh, and by the way, Tyler's nickname for Nikki, Ne, is pronounced the same way knee is.

Next chapter: the science club finds themselves in a bad situation.


	8. I Bet You’re Glad I’m On Your Side

A/N: Ok, just in case anyone picked up on the fact that given the time frame Nikki gave, Tyler and Nikki would have been about twelve, I will explain how it is rationally possible for them to have had a real relationship this chapter. I will tell you it has nothing to do with the vortex. So, read on to find out. Every time I write where Tyler is impersonating someone, I will write it as not..., as in, not Nikki said. Hopefully that is clear. Lucas' thoughts are in italics

Disclaimer: Not mine, will never be mine, not saying it's mine, so don't call me with a lawsuit.

Ch. 8: I Bet You're Glad I'm On Your Side

When Nikki first opened her eyes later, she did not recognize where she was. She shook her head to clear it a little, and discovered that her arms were bound behind her back, and in turn tied to a pipe. Suddenly the exchange with Tyler came flooding back.

"Great," she muttered. "He's kidnapped me this time," she thought aloud as she struggled against her bonds. "He's kidnapped me and locked me alone in a basement, and tied me to a pipe, no less. I swear, I am going to rip him a new one if he hurts my friends,"she swore to the empty room.

Meanwhile, in another part of the basement.

"What am I doing here, and why am I tied up?" not Nikki asked.

"Is that really you, Nick? What are you doing in my room?" Lucas asked in a groggy tone. All he remembered was a really strong feeling that Nikki was not Nikki, but he could not remember why he thought that. Slowly, he opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the light. A second later he spoke clearer, "When did my room turn into the basement?"

"What do you mean our room is the basement, Lucas?" Marshall asked. "Lucas you dumbass, this is the basement."

"Marshall, stop, think about what you just said, try to move, and for God's sake wake up quicker," Lucas ordered. Slowly it was all coming back to him. _'There is something having to do with Marshall, and calling him Jack_,' he thought.

"Why am I waking up in a room with Marshall and Lucas?" Corrine asked. After a bit of shifting, she added, "I guess a more important question would be why can't I move?"

"We are in the basement, not a room, and you probably can't move because you are tied up like I am," Marshall replied.

'_Nikki is not Nikki, what does that mean?_' he berated himself silently.

"What are you talking about, and if it's true, how can you be so calm about it?" Corrine asked.

"Don't mind him, he is always like this in the morning. He rambles like he knows what he is saying for a few minutes, then has to be reminded what he was just talking about. Give him a couple minutes. In the mean time, Vaughn, Josie, are you here too?" Lucas called into the dimly lit room. '_There is also something about not letting on that I know. What do I know_?' Lucas thought wildly, trying to process what he couldn't remember and assess the situation at the same time.

"Five more minutes, Lucas, class doesn't start till eight," Josie mumbled.

"Come on, Josie, open your eyes, try to move, something, we need you now," Corrine called.

"Fine," she called. After a shuffling sound she asked, "Why am I tied to a desk in the basement? Wait, I was with Vaughn. Vaughn, are you here? Answer me, Vaughn. Are you here?"

"A little groggy, but I'm here," Vaughn called.

"Vaughn? What are you doing in our room?" Marshall asked.

"Good, you're waking up. We aren't in our room, Marshall," Lucas reminded him. '_Our room, Marshall, can't let know, what happened to Nikki?_'

"What do you mean we aren't in our room?" Marshall asked.

"Welcome back, Marshall. We are in the basement," not Nikki called.

'_If it is not Nikki, who is it_?'

"Conlon, is that you? Why are we in the basement?" Marshall replied.

When Marshall called Nikki by his nickname for her, it all clicked for Lucas.

"We don't know, but we are all tied up, and aren't really sure how we got here," Corrine answered.

'_Nikki is not Nikki, she didn't call Marshall by one of his nicknames , she called him Marshall_.'

"Corrine? Is Josie here too?" Marshall asked.

"Yeah, Marshall, I'm here," Josie sighed.

'_Then she acted like that was normal, like she does it all the time.'_

"What are we going to do?" Marshall asked.

"We need to figure out what happened, make a plan," not Nikki replied.

"Oh my god," Lucas sighed, reliving the last few minutes he remembered in his head.

"What's up, Lukey? You ok over there?" not Nikki asked.

'_Lukey._'

"Not at the moment, no," he replied.

"You aren't going to hurl, are you?" Marshall asked.

"It is a distinct possibility," he spoke, trying not to let on that things were as bad as he thought they were. _'Someone calls me Lukey, who is it?_'

"No, Lucas, you are not going to hurl, get a hold of yourself," Corrine ordered.

"Yeah, I should be fine, just give me a moment," Lucas said. '_Lukey, Lukey, who do I associate with Lukey?_' he racked his brain.

"Well, in the mean time, Nikki's right, we need to figure out what happened, how we got here," Josie decided.

"Good, who remembers what happened?" Corrine asked.

"Well, I remember that I was looking for my book in the science room, I found it and came back up to the room, you all left, and then I woke up here," not Nikki said.

'_Lukey, who calls me Lukey? It's not Victor, not Durst, not Madison, not the janitor, who?_'

"Ok, that is a good start, any thing else?" Josie asked.

"Umm... yeah. There was. While I was in the science room, I ran into Tyler, and he was acting weird. Well, weird even by Tyler's standards," not Nikki replied.

'_Tyler._'

Meanwhile, in a room nearby

"Nikki, Nikki, Nikki. Did you sleep well?" Tyler asked, coming in the room.

"What did you do to my friends?" she asked.

"Now is that polite? I ask you a perfectly reasonable question, and you assume I want to hurt your friends. That hurts, Nicola," Tyler replied.

"If you want to talk about politeness, let's start with tying me to a pipe and conspiring with yourself to hurt my friends," Nikki shot back.

"Oh, someone's cranky, maybe I should let you sleep a little longer," Tyler spoke moving a hand to his watch.

"You won't do it. You have me captive and you have questions you want to ask me, don't you?" Nikki asked.

"You always were far too perceptive for your own good, Nicola," Tyler said.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Nikki ground out.

"Now, Nikki, no need to get so worked up over so small a thing. After all, everything happens for a reason. You taught me that. Two summers ago. When you gave me your heart," Tyler stated.

"I did not give you my heart. I gave the Tyler from two summers ago my heart. And like I said before, he is dead to me," Nikki spoke darkly.

"Well, I guess that is how you get the time frame, right? We first met five years ago, and you thought I was a stupid, spoiled child. You met the Tyler you loved the year after that, and he died three years later, when you found me with Marie Ryan. Is that right?" Tyler asked.

"At least I didn't have to spell it out for you. It always made me kind of mad when you were slow. Although technically you have had an entire year to think about it, so that is impressively slow," Nikki noted.

"I hardly think you are in any position to insult me, Nick," Tyler reminded her.

"You won't hurt me, Tyler, because you think there still might be a chance for a reconciliation, and you don't want to ruin your chances. As long as you still love me, there is nothing you will do to hurt me on purpose. And I can promise you right now, that if you hurt my friends, I will never speak to you again," she threatened.

"I hardly think you are in a position to make threats," he replied.

"Ok, then, just answer one question for me," she bargained.

"Your friends are down the hall, with my counterpart, safe for the moment. How long that moment lasts depends on you. Now, I'd love to stay and chat, but I am needed else where, so, I'll be back, try not to do anything stupid," he ordered and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Tyler?" Nikki asked before he moved away.

"What?" he asked, moving his face right in front of hers.

"You made a very dangerous error. You forgot one important thing," she trailed off.

"And what was that?" Tyler asked, his face no more than an inch from hers.

"If you don't bind my hands separately, no knot can hold me," she replied, bringing her hands from behind her back, clutching an object she had found on the ground, which turned out to be a broken broom handle. She hit him in the head to disorient him. Quickly she dropped the broom handle and pressed two fingers into the base of his neck. He fell over unconscious, and after she bound his hands separately to the pipe, she ran out of the room, in search of her friends.

Back in the other room

"Ok, so everyone was talking to someone else, they were alone with that person, then the next thing you know, you are in this room, tied to something?" Josie asked.

"Seems that way, but one of us is lying about who they are," Lucas replied.

"What are you talking about, Lucas?" Vaughn asked.

"Nikki knows what I'm talking about. At least she would, if she were here. Isn't that right?" Lucas called out.

"What do you mean, Lucas, I'm right here," not Nikki called.

"If you are really Nikki, then what is your nickname for me?" Lucas asked.

"Lukey," not Nikki replied.

"And for Marshall?" he asked.

"Marshmallow," not Nikki tried.

"Hey, that's a good one, I'll have to keep that one in mind, Tyler. Good to know that I can count on Skywalker to tell me apart from you," Nikki called from the door.

"How did you get out?" he asked.

"You left me with both hands to untie a fairly simple knot," she replied simply. "Change back," she ordered.

"Well, at least we know her affections are well placed," Tyler stated as he complied.

"Bite your tongue," Nikki replied.

"Do it for me," he retorted.

She came over, really close to his face, and whispered, "The pair of you would do well to stop offending me." Then she applied pressure to the same place she had on his counterpart and he fell over unconscious as well. Checking that his hands were tied tightly, she stood up and addressed her friends. "Are you all alright?"

"So far. What did you do to him?" Lucas asked as she started to untie his hands.

"Pressure points. Brooklyn is not the safest place to live by any stretch of the imagination. One of my uncles is an ex-Navy Seal. He can kill a man with two fingers. My father let him teach myself and my siblings a limited version of his training. I can knock a man out with two fingers, but not kill him, I can untie any regulation knot blind, most one handed, I know a little about hand to hand combat and martial arts, and I can even fence a bit. Tyler must have forgotten about that, because he tied my hands together. He also told me where you were and pissed me off. And well, like they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I bet you are glad I'm on your side right about now, huh?" she finished, helping Josie stand up and joining the rest, who she had already untied.

"What happened between you and Tyler?" Marshall asked.

"Why are there two of him and what was that purple hole in the floor that the second one came out of? I know you all know," Nikki replied.

A/N: ok, that is all for now, it seemed like a good place to stop. Keep you all coming back for more. Sorry it took so long, I just started a new job and I am working a lot, but I will try to get a new chapter up as soon as possible. Luv, Kat.


End file.
